The GBEP indicators are being tested in Indonesia and Colombia in the project “Pilot testing of Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) indicators for sustainable bioenergy in targeted developing countries”. The project started in October 2011 and is expected to conclude its work in September 2014. It is funded by the government of Germany, through the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is managing the project, through the GBEP Secretariat.

Objectives

The main objectives of this project are:

To assess and enhance the capacity of developing countries to measure the GBEP indicators and use them to inform bioenergy policymaking; and

To learn lessons about how to apply the indicators as a tool for sustainable development and how to enhance the practicality of the tool.

All data collection operations in both beneficiary countries are being carried out by national consultants belonging to recognized local research institutions. Various public sector, private sector, and civil society institutions are also participating, as well as research centres, for the collection and exchange of information needed for the success of the project. In order to achieve its goals, the project started by gathering relevant stakeholders and familiarizing them with the indicators and key concepts associated with the sustainability of bioenergy. In light of an assessment of data availability and human and institutional capacity, methodologies for measuring the indicators have been tailored to country conditions; a data collection strategy has been defined and data gaps filled to the extent possible; baseline values for the indicators are being established and training needs identified. An important part of the project is represented by the training to be delivered in order to put Colombia and Indonesia in a position to measure the indicators periodically after the completion of this initial pilot project.The project ultimately supports the sustainable economic development of the bioenergy sector in the partner countries. This has many positive impacts on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of natural resources, the job market, the agriculture and energy sector, as well as on the market access of project countries and foreign investments.